[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by JerryLBell

A lot of people (I was one of them) think that "defunding" police departments means getting rid of the police department. It doesn't. Over the years, the governments of most cities and states have dropped all kinds of programs and had the police departments step in and do the work. For example, mental health clinics have lost all kinds of funding and now police departments are forced to deal with mentally ill folks that once might have gone to the clinics. Similar with other things like drug counseling and even animal control in many areas. The police have had their budgets increased in part to offset the loss of these services from other departments. "Defunding" police departments means taking some of the money that would have gone to the police departments and giving it to other community support departments like mental health clinics, drug counseling clinics, etc. This should offset the work in those areas from our overworked police officers and have it done by professionals specializing in those areas. It does NOT mean eliminating entire police departments and embracing lawlessness. At first, I was against the idea of defunding police departments but I am seeing how that may actually be helpful.

We shall see but from what I have been reading the citizens of Minneapolis are going to be in for a rude awakening down the road a bit.

[anothersteve]

Originally Posted by Stuart Zaikov

We shall see but from what I have been reading the citizens of Minneapolis are going to be in for a rude awakening down the road a bit.

What's left of it.

Twitter

Steve

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by JerryLBell

A lot of people (I was one of them) think that "defunding" police departments means getting rid of the police department. It doesn't. Over the years, the governments of most cities and states have dropped all kinds of programs and had the police departments step in and do the work. For example, mental health clinics have lost all kinds of funding and now police departments are forced to deal with mentally ill folks that once might have gone to the clinics. Similar with other things like drug counseling and even animal control in many areas. The police have had their budgets increased in part to offset the loss of these services from other departments. "Defunding" police departments means taking some of the money that would have gone to the police departments and giving it to other community support departments like mental health clinics, drug counseling clinics, etc. This should offset the work in those areas from our overworked police officers and have it done by professionals specializing in those areas. It does NOT mean eliminating entire police departments and embracing lawlessness. At first, I was against the idea of defunding police departments but I am seeing how that may actually be helpful.

Thank you. I was going to post something about this but you beat me to it.

The Villages has an example of ONE way defunding can be used, though in the current situation in this country, it isn't what the other municipalities have in mind.

We have the Community Watch, right here in the Villages. They are -not- a Police Department, but they serve our community with certain services that the police usually serve large towns and spread-out cities. The Community Watch isn't a replacement for the Police. But they're also more "authorized" than a typical block or neighborhood watch. It's an adjunct to the Police services. We still rely on the county/city/town jails and city/county/town police for certain functions such as arrests and violent crime handling. But some of the burden is eased up on them, and put on the Community Watch.

[wisbad1]

Originally Posted by JerryLBell

A lot of people (I was one of them) think that "defunding" police departments means getting rid of the police department. It doesn't. Over the years, the governments of most cities and states have dropped all kinds of programs and had the police departments step in and do the work. For example, mental health clinics have lost all kinds of funding and now police departments are forced to deal with mentally ill folks that once might have gone to the clinics. Similar with other things like drug counseling and even animal control in many areas. The police have had their budgets increased in part to offset the loss of these services from other departments. "Defunding" police departments means taking some of the money that would have gone to the police departments and giving it to other community support departments like mental health clinics, drug counseling clinics, etc. This should offset the work in those areas from our overworked police officers and have it done by professionals specializing in those areas. It does NOT mean eliminating entire police departments and embracing lawlessness. At first, I was against the idea of defunding police departments but I am seeing how that may actually be helpful.

When some nut robs and shoots you, they’ll send some hippie loser analyst out to ask you what you could have done to prevent what happened

[Yung Dum]

Defunding the police is nothing more than appeasing a certain group of miscreants. It's sole purpose is to temporarily quiet things down while nothing actually changes. Nobody in their right mind would really do such a thing. Of course, right mind does not apply to DiBlasio. Nevertheless, it won't happen. If it does, NYC will have the greatest mass exodus of law abiding citizens and businesses in history as gangs become the new police. How did this guy ever get elected in the first place?

[mtdjed]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Thank you. I was going to post something about this but you beat me to it.

The Villages has an example of ONE way defunding can be used, though in the current situation in this country, it isn't what the other municipalities have in mind.

We have the Community Watch, right here in the Villages. They are -not- a Police Department, but they serve our community with certain services that the police usually serve large towns and spread-out cities. The Community Watch isn't a replacement for the Police. But they're also more "authorized" than a typical block or neighborhood watch. It's an adjunct to the Police services. We still rely on the county/city/town jails and city/county/town police for certain functions such as arrests and violent crime handling. But some of the burden is eased up on them, and put on the Community Watch.

I agree with you. Probably first time.

[Steve9930]

If the police are defunded in NYC the only thing will happen is crime will rise and the people who will take the brunt of it will be the minority neighborhoods.

[Bay Kid]

If the cops have no radar then I can drive as fast as I want.

[PennBF]

I worked in NY City (lower Manhattan and Mid Town) for 20+ years and it was during when Guilliani was mayor. We walked the streets at all hours and you felt safe and it was clean. Today the city is dirty and dangerous to walk around. The Police are great but they get no support from the jerk that is Mayor. In the old administration we use to tell new people coming to town to follow 3 basic rules. 1.If a street does not look safe it probably is so don't go down it, 2. If you see something going down ignore it and go about your business, and 3. There was a third but I will not include it as it would most likely wake up all of those waiting to attack the rules. I would not go back to Manhattan today as it is not entirely safe or clean! Just had a relative return and confirmed this opinion.

[stan the man]

going to be a long HOT summer in nyc

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Bay Kid

If the cops have no radar then I can drive as fast as I want.

Except if you do get stopped you will need a new means of transportation.

[JP]

Originally Posted by Yung Dum

Defunding the police is nothing more than appeasing a certain group of miscreants. It's sole purpose is to temporarily quiet things down while nothing actually changes. Nobody in their right mind would really do such a thing. Of course, right mind does not apply to DiBlasio. Nevertheless, it won't happen. If it does, NYC will have the greatest mass exodus of law abiding citizens and businesses in history as gangs become the new police. How did this guy ever get elected in the first place?

I could be wrong but I think he first ran for mayor(and won) in a field of candidates that included the then probable winner Anthony Weiner but Weiner had to drop out do to Overexposure.